Access point with controller for billing and generating income for access point owner

ABSTRACT

A modified end user network access point includes a switching module and a controller to track usage of the end user network access point by wirelessly connected end user devices. The tracked usage information is transmitted from the end user network access point to a remotely coupled data center. The data center collects usage information from a plurality of different end user network access points. The collected usage information is in turn transmitted from the data center to a network carrier. The network carrier uses the received usage information to bill users for accessing the end user network access points and using any services provided by the end user network access points. An owner of each end user network access point is compensated by the network carrier each instance that an end user device utilizes the end user network access point to access the network carrier&#39;s communications network.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent Application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/380,958, filed on Dec. 15, 2016, andentitled, “ACCESS POINT WITH CONTROLLER FOR BILLING AND GENERATINGINCOME FOR ACCESS POINT OWNER,” which is a continuation application ofco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/869,520, filed on Sep.29, 2015, and entitled “ACCESS POINT WITH CONTROLLER FOR BILLING ANDGENERATING INCOME FOR ACCESS POINT OWNER,” which is a continuation ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/539,907, filed on Nov. 12, 2014, andentitled “ACCESS POINT WITH CONTROLLER FOR BILLING AND GENERATING INCOMEFOR ACCESS POINT OWNER,” which is a continuation application of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/262,078, filed on Oct. 27, 2005, andentitled “ACCESS POINT WITH CONTROLLER FOR BILLING AND GENERATING INCOMEFOR ACCESS POINT OWNER,” which claims priority of U.S. provisionalapplication, Ser. No. 60/652,258, filed Feb. 11, 2005, and entitled“METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING BROADBAND ACCESS ANDDISTRIBUTION OF CONTENT AND COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH AN ACCESS POINT,” bythe same inventors, which are all incorporated by reference. Thisapplication incorporates U.S. provisional application, Ser. No.60/652,258 in its entirety by reference. U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/262,078, filed on Oct. 27, 2005, and entitled “ACCESS POINT WITHCONTROLLER FOR BILLING AND GENERATING INCOME FOR ACCESS POINT OWNER,” isalso a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/031,498, filed Jan. 6, 2005, and entitled “TELEPHONE WITH AUTOMATICSWITCHING BETWEEN CELLULAR AND VOIP NETWORKS”, which is herebyincorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/031,498claims priority of U.S. provisional application, Ser. No. 60/534,466,filed Jan. 6, 2004, and entitled “RADIOTELEPHONE WITH AUTOMATICSWITCHING BETWEEN CELLULAR AND WI-FI NETWORKS USING WI-FI SIGNALSTRENGTH VALUES”, the content of which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method of and an apparatus forproviding access to a communications network and billing for relatedservices. In particular, the present invention relates to a method ofand apparatus for generating income for an owner of a network accessdevice used to provide access to a communications network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A small portion of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum is assigned to eachcommunications carrier. The assigned spectrum, therefore, must be usedefficiently in order to allow the maximum number of frequency users tohave access to this spectrum. Multiple access modulation techniques havebeen developed to provide optimum utilization of the RF spectrum.Examples of such modulation techniques include time division multipleaccess (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), and codedivision multiple access (CDMA).

There is a wide variance in the performance of wireless networks. Aconventional wireless cellular network covers a relatively largegeographical area, but provides a relatively low bandwidth. Suchwireless networks use regulated portions of the radio spectrum and areshared by many users. The infrastructure costs of wireless networks arerelatively high due to the size and complexity of the cellular networkequipment.

Other wireless networks, such as CDMA2000-EV-DO/DV networks, offerhigher bandwidth and enhanced data services, such as web browsing.However, these networks also pack many users into a relatively smallportion of the regulated spectrum. Other types of radio networks areadapted to improve spectral efficiency with increased speed and smallercoverage areas. For example, an IEEE 802.11x (or Wi-Fi) network maytransmit at speeds up to 11 Mbps using a Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum(DSSS) mode or at speeds up to 54 Mbps using an Orthogonal FrequencyDivision Multiplexing (OFDM) mode.

An access point conforming to an IEEE 802.11x (e.g., IEEE 802.11b)network may cover an area of a few hundred feet in diameter. Each suchaccess point is connected to a larger network (e.g., Internet). One suchexample is Wi-Fi VoIP (Wireless Fidelity Voice over Internet Protocol),through which a mobile device user can place a wireless telephone callover the Internet, using the technology specified in IEEE 802.11b at thenetwork access point. VoIP is a method for taking analog audio signalsand converting them into digital data that can be transmitted over theInternet. Conventional VoIP telephone communications are enabled by VoIPnetwork carriers, which utilize VoIP networks, e.g. the Internet, toplace VoIP based telephone calls. VoIP enabled and compatible networksinclude VoIP switching for proper routing and billing of VoIP basedtelephone calls.

In order to cover larger geographical areas, a relatively large numberof IEEE 802.11x network access points and relatively large wire-lineback haul networks are required. In part, due to the relatively smallgeographical coverage area of each network access point, the resultingIEEE 802.11x based network may thus be prohibitively expensive to setup. Further, the small coverage areas may lead to many “dead zones” inwhich mobile device users are unable to place telephone calls using theVoIP network.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to network accesspoints with embedded switching capabilities. the network access pointsprovide access to a communications network, preferably an IP network.The network access points provide end user devices access to thecommunications network. These network access points include virtualprivate network (VPN) and conventional network security technology toprovide comprehensive security and privacy. A controller within thenetwork access point utilizes a switching module to track usage of thenetwork access point by wirelessly connected end user devices. Using theswitching module, usage associated with each individual end user deviceis tracked to distinguish each end user device accessing the networkaccess point. The tracked usage information is transmitted from thenetwork access point to a remotely coupled data center. The data centercollects usage information from a plurality of different network accesspoints. The collected usage information is in turn transmitted from thedata center to an network carrier, such as an IP network carrier or atelephone network carrier. The network carrier uses the received usageinformation to bill users for accessing the communications network viathe network access points and using any services provided by the networkaccess points.

In the preferred embodiment, the network access point tracks VoIPtelephone usage by a wireless end user device accessing the networkaccess point for the purpose of utilizing an IP network to make atelephone call. Alternatively, the wireless end user device utilizes thenetwork access point to access an IP network for purposes other thanmaking a telephone call, such as sending and receiving email orbroadband content. In this alternative embodiment, the network accesspoint tracks any usage of the network access point by the wireless enduser device. The network access point provides additional servicesassociated with accessing the IP network. Using the switching module,the network access point is also able to track usage of these additionalservices. In yet another alternative embodiment, the carrier network isany conventional communications network, and the network access pointsprovide access to the communications network for end user devices.

In one embodiment, the end user device is configured to perform thenecessary conversion of data for transmission over the IP network. Forexample, when a VoIP telephone call is made using the end user device,the end user device converts the audio signal to IP compatible digitaldata (e.g. VoIP conversion) and the converted digital data is sent tothe network access point, for example using Wi-Fi.

In another embodiment, the network access point is configured to performthe necessary conversion of data for transmission over the IP network.For example, when a VoIP telephone call is made using the end userdevice, the end user device transmits the audio signal, for example anRF signal, to the network access point where the audio signal isconverted to IP compatible digital data.

A network access point of the type described above is utilized as anextension of an existing communications network infrastructure. Entitiesother than the network carrier can implement the network access pointand thereby provide users access to the communications network via theirnetwork access point. The network access point, using its embeddedswitching module, tracks any usage of the network access point by theend user device, and the tracked usage is provided to the networkcarrier for billing to the user. As compensation for providing thisservice, the owner of the network access point is remunerated by thenetwork carrier according to an agreed upon schedule. The networkcarrier benefits by expanding the coverage area accessible to itscommunications network without having the up-front cost of expanding thenetwork infrastructure itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system implementedaccording to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified high-level block diagram of the accesspoint within FIG. 1, in accordance with one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary methodology to generate income for anowner of the network access point.

The invention is described relative to the several views of thedrawings. Where appropriate and only where identical elements aredisclosed and shown in more than one drawing, the same reference numeralwill be used to represent such identical elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a system 200implemented according to one embodiment of the present invention. Thesystem 200 includes a modified network access point 120 coupled to oneor more end user devices 100. The access point 120 provides each enduser device 100 with access to an network 130. Preferably, the network130 is an IP network, such as the Internet. Alternatively, the network130 is any type of conventional communications network. The access point120 is coupled to the network 130 via the broadband connection 122. Thebroadband connection 122 is preferably a wired connection.Alternatively, the broadband connection 122 is a wireless connection.The access point 120 provides the end user devices 100 with access tothe network 130 along with other services related to accessing thenetwork 130. The access point 120 includes a switching module thatenables the access point 120 to track the usage of the network 130, andany related services, by a specific end user device 100.

The access point 120 is coupled to a data center 140 via broadbandconnection 124. The broadband connection 124 can be either a wired orwireless broadband connection. The data center 140 includes a switchingand billing server 142 and a network carrier interface server 144. Thenetwork carrier maintains the network 130. Usage information collectedby the access point 120 is transmitted to the switching and billingserver 142 within the data center 140. The switching and billing server142 collects usage information for each end user device 100 thatutilizes the access and services provided by the access point 120. Theusage information is associated with a specific end user correspondingto each end user device 100.

The network carrier interface server 144 communicates with a networkcarrier data terminal 150. The network carrier data terminal 150 isassociated with the network carrier that provides usage of the network130 by the end user devices 100. The network carrier data terminal 150includes user information associated with the end users of the end userdevices 100. This user information is provided by the network carrierdata terminal 150 to the network carrier interface server 144. Thenetwork carrier interface server 144 provides the user information tothe switching and billing server 142. The usage information receivedfrom the access point 120 is matched to the user information receivedfrom the network carrier interface server 144 to form billing recordsassociated with each end user. The billing records are periodicallyprovided by the data center 140 to the network carrier data terminal150. The network carrier uses the billing records to bill thecorresponding end users for their access and use of the network 130 viathe access point 120, and any associated other services provided.

The access point 120 preferably functions as a broadband terminationpoint. As such, the access point 120 is considered an end user broadbandnetwork element within the network 110. The network 110 is preferablyconfigured as either a home or enterprise network associated with theaccess point 120. Examples of a network access point include, but arenot limited to, a wireless or wired broadband termination element, awireless or wired modem, a wireless or wired router, and a Wi-Fi accesspoint.

In an alternative embodiment, a broadband termination point isconfigured separately from the access point 120, yet within the network110. In this alternative embodiment, the broadband termination point iscoupled to the access point 120 via a broadband connection. Thebroadband connection can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

The access point 120 is adapted to transmit signals to and receivesignals from the network connections 106. Each of the networkconnections 106 can be either a wireless connection or a wiredconnection. Preferably, each of the end user devices 100 is a mobile, orwireless, device and the network connections 106 are wirelessconnections. Transmissions sent over the wireless connections arepreferably transmitted according to Wi-Fi or any other wireless protocolcapable of transmitting IP compatible data. Alternatively, the end userdevices 100 are wired devices and the network connections 106 are wiredconnections. As such, the access point 120 can be configured for bothwired and wireless network communications.

In one embodiment, the end user device 100 is configured to perform thenecessary conversion of data for transmission over the network 130. Forexample, when a VoIP telephone call is made using the end user device100, the end user device 100 converts the audio signal to IP compatibledigital data (e.g. VoIP conversion) and the converted digital data issent to the access point 120, for example using a Wi-Fi protocol.

In another embodiment, the access point 120 is configured to perform thenecessary conversion of data for transmission over the network 130. Forexample, when a VoIP telephone call is made using the end user device100, the end user device 100 transmits the audio signal, for example anRF signal, to the access point 120 where the audio signal is convertedto IP compatible digital data.

Each of the end user devices 100 can be wireless, wired, or configuredfor both wireless and wired. Exemplary end user devices include, but arenot limited to, computers, televisions, music players/recorders, PDAs,telephones, or any conventional end user device capable of sending andreceiving communications over the network 130. The end user device canalso be a mobile communications device configured to automaticallyswitch an existing communication from a wireless cellular network(hereinafter alternatively referred to as cellular network) to awireless IP network, or to switch an existing communication from an IPnetwork to a cellular network. Such a mobile communication device isdescribed in co-pending and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/031,498, filed Jan. 6, 2005, and entitled “TELEPHONE WITH AUTOMATICSWITCHING BETWEEN CELLULAR AND VOIP NETWORKS”, which is herebyincorporated by reference.

In the exemplary system 200 shown in FIG. 1, each end user device 100 isa wireless device coupled to the access point 120 via wirelessconnection 106. It is understood that the specific types of end userdevices 100, and the specific transmission connections 106 made betweenthe end user devices 100 and the access point 120 described above inrelation to FIG. 1 are for exemplary purposes only.

As applied to the system 200, wired connections can be configuredaccording to any conventional wired transmission technologies including,but not limited to, LANs, WANs, and the Internet. Wireless connectionsincluded within the system 200 can be configured according to anyconventional wireless transmission technologies including, but notlimited to, IEEE 802.11a/b/g and Wi-Max.

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified high-level block diagram of the accesspoint 120 within the system 200 of FIG. 1. The access point 120 includesa controller 210, a transceiver 220, a switching module 240, a billingand services module 250, and a network interface 260, all coupledtogether via a bus 270. An antenna 230 receives wireless signals fromand transmits wireless signals to the end user devices 100 (FIG. 1). Thetransceiver 220 is adapted to transmit signals to and receive signalsfrom the antenna 230. The network interface 260 includes network portsfor the wired connection 122, which accesses the network 130 (FIG. 1),and the wired connection 124, which accesses the data center 140 (FIG.1). Alternatively, the network interface 260 includes more, or less,than two network ports. Further, the network interface 260 alternativelyincludes a wireless network adapter (not shown) for providing wirelessbroadband network access to either the network 130 or the data center140.

The switching module 240 provides tracking capabilities, such that whenan end user device 100 utilizes the access point 120 to access thenetwork 130, this usage is tracked and associated with the specific enduser device 100. The access point 120 provides the end user device 100with additional services associated with accessing the IP network 130.The switching module 240 enables tracking of these additional services.Tracking performed by the switching module 240 is sent as usageinformation to the billing and services module 250. The usageinformation, along with the particular end user device 100 associatedwith the usage information, is stored in the billing and services module250. The usage information is transmitted from the billing and servicesmodule 250 to the data center 140 (FIG. 1) via the network interface260. The controller 210 controls operation of the access point 120,including the transceiver 220, the switching module 240, the billing andservices module 250, and the network interface 260.

In operation of the system 200 (FIG. 1), the access point 120 providesaccess to the network 130 when an end user device 100 is within thecoverage area of the access point 120. Preferably, the end user device100 is a mobile device that wirelessly connects to the access point 120.The wireless connection, and the mobile device, are preferablyconfigured according to an IP compatible protocol, such as Wi-Fi. Inaddition to providing access to the network 130, the access point 120provides additional services to the end user devices 100, such asmanaging the quality of broadband content provided from the network 130,or an otherwise connected broadband content provider.

The access point 120 includes a tracking capability that enablestracking of any usage of the access point 120 by a particular end userdevice 100. For example, if the end user device 100 is within thecoverage area of the access point 120 and the end user device 100utilizes the access point 120 to access the network 130 for the purposesof making a VoIP telephone call, the access point 120 tracks theduration of the VoIP telephone call over the network 130. This trackinginformation, also referred to as usage information, is collected by theaccess point 120 and associated with the particular end used device 100.The usage information is transmitted from the access point 120 to thedata center 140, where the usage information is matched to userinformation received from the network carrier data terminal 150 to forma billing record. The network carrier data terminal 150 is associatedwith the network carrier that provides the communication over thenetwork 130. The billing records are stored in the data center 140 andare periodically transmitted to the network carrier, via the networkcarrier data terminal 150.

FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary methodology to generate income for anowner of the access point 120. At the step 300, an access point isconfigured for access to an network. The access point is preferablyconnected to the network via a broadband connection, either wired orwireless. At the step 302, an end user device accesses the access point.The end user device is preferably a mobile, or wireless, device, and thewireless end user device communicates with the access point via awireless connection. Access to the access point is enabled while thewireless end user device is within a coverage area of the access point.

At the step 304, once the end user device is provided access to theaccess point, the access point provides a connection to the network,thereby providing a communication link between the end user device andthe network. The communication link can be used for a VoIP telephonecall, transmission of broadband content to the end user device, or otherdata transmission applications. At the step 306, the end user deviceutilizes one or more services associated with the network. Preferably,the access point enables use of these services. At a minimum, oneservice utilized by the end user device is using the access point toaccess the network. In this case, the duration of time that a particularend user device is connected to the network via the access point istracked and associated with the particular end user device. If contentdata is accessed by the end user device via the access point, then thetype of content data can be tracked. In general, any utilization of theone or more services can be tracked.

At the step 308, services used by the end user device are tracked by theaccess point. Usage information corresponding to services used by aparticular end user device is associated with the particular end userdevice. The usage information, including its associated end user device,is collected and stored by the access point. At the step 310, the usageinformation is first transmitted from the access point to a data center.The data center includes a switching and billing server that receivesthe usage information from the access point. The data center alsoincludes an network carrier interface server that receives userinformation from the network carrier associated with the network. Theswitching and billing server receives the user information from thenetwork carrier interface server and matches the user information to theusage information received from the access point to form billingrecords. The billing records are then transmitted to the networkcarrier. At the step 312, the network carrier uses the billing recordsto bill the user of the end user device that utilized the network viathe access point. At the step 314, income is provided to the third partyowner of the access point. The income provided is determined by apayment schedule previously agreed to by the network carrier and thethird party owner.

The network access point is preferably owned by a third partyindependent of the network carrier. A portion of the revenue collectedfrom end users for accessing the communications network via the networkaccess point is distributed to the third party owner. The communicationsnetwork is essentially expanded by the network access points without thenetwork carrier paying the capital expenditures required in building outthe carrier network. Instead, the capital expenditure burden is assumedby the third party owner of the network access point, and in exchange,the third party owner shares in any revenue collected by the networkcarrier from end users accessing the carrier network via the networkaccess point. Alternatively, the third party owner is compensated basedupon previously agreed upon parameters, such as a per minute fee,independent of the billing charges or revenue collected between the enduser and the network carrier. It is understood that an end user devicecan also be a third party owner.

In some embodiments, only a specific entity (e.g., company) is able toearn revenue from an access point (secured, unsecured, trusted,untrusted, mobile, fixed, other). In some embodiments, (cellular) basestations (e.g., LTE, 4G, 5G, and others) are access points. In someembodiments, the revenue earned is direct revenue such as fees foraccess points and corresponding provisions of broadband/WiFi/“hotspots”(e.g., fixed, mobile, secured, unsecured, trusted, untrusted, other). Insome embodiments, the revenue earned is indirect revenue such as contentfrom an access point and/or corresponding broadband/WiFi. For example,the content is able to be multimedia/video content, data, telephonecalls, video calls, VoIP multimedia calls, video streaming, datastreaming, multi-media sessions, web conferences, and/oradvertisements/commercials. The content is able to be secured orunsecured. For secured content, billing is able to be done at the clientor on a backend content provider server. The content is able to bepushed, pulled or streamed, and billing is able to be per usage or perusage for a given media type, and/or for what application, page or mediait is. Software and/or hardware are able to be installed/used on anydevices of a system (e.g., user devices, source devices, access points,proxy devices, others) to collect information to be used with billing.The presence of specific hardware (e.g., a proxy) may bechecked/verified as a condition for using a network or accessingcontent. In some embodiments, peer-to-peer communication is able to bebilled by a user device, on an access point or other device in thenetwork and/or at the source of content. In some embodiments, the accesspoints are deployed by the specific entity or are approved by thespecific entity. In some embodiments, if another entity deploys anaccess point without approval by the specific entity, then no revenue ismade by the other entity. In some embodiments, if another entity doesearn revenue for an access point, then that revenue then goes to thespecific entity (not the other entity). In other words, regardless ofwho implements an access point, the revenue from that access point goesto a specific entity, not other entities (even the implementing entity,unless the implementing entity is the specific entity). In someembodiments, a content provider is able to earn revenue for content onlyon access points belonging (e.g., owned and/or operated by) to aspecific entity, or access points approved by the specific entity, andthe content provider is not able to earn revenue for content on accesspoints that do not belong to the specific entity, or are not approved bythe specific entity.

In some embodiments, in addition to or instead of earning revenue froman access point, other components of a network are able to providerevenue such as a client/user device, a controller device (e.g., anydevices in a network system), a sensor device (e.g., a device configuredfor sensing items such as network traffic, QoS, and/or any othercontexts), and/or any other devices. By receiving revenue based on otherdevices, an entity does not have to own/control an access point to earnrevenue (e.g., earn revenue when another company/user uses an entity'scontroller). By receiving revenue based on other devices, an entity isable to receive revenue when there is encrypted content. As a session isdone with a client code and a continuity server, the entity is able togenerate billing events.

In some embodiments, instead of or in addition to sending/determiningcharging events and billing, a mechanism is implemented to enforcepolicy/Service Level Agreements (SLAs) on traffic. Enforcing a policy isable to include different processing of media, different routingimplementations, and/or different SLAs instead of or in addition tobilling aspects. The mechanism is able to be implemented on any devicein a network (e.g., client, sensors, controller, access point).Different traffic is able to be processed differently and therefore,transmitted differently.

The system 200 (FIG. 1) enables an end user to place a telephone callusing a wireless device over a network. Although the system 200 isdescribed above related to placing a VoIP telephone call, the system 200can also be utilized for purposes other than placing phone calls, suchas for example transmitting broadband content. Broadband contentincludes content data, such as audio and/or video content data, as wellas content header data that provides information related to theaccompanying audio/video content data. Examples of content header datainclude content origination address, content specific information, videoparameters, audio parameters, and transmission media-specificparameters. Broadband content is provided from a broadband provider (notshown) to the end user devices 100 via the access point 120. Thebroadband provider can be the network carrier that provides the network130, or the broadband provider can be an independent network provider,such as an ISP, that provides the end user access to a network.

Other than providing access to the network 130, an exemplary serviceprovided by the access point 120 is to manage and selectively processbroadband content transmitted to the end user devices 100 from a contentprovider. The access point 120 is preferably configured to perform suchmanagement and selective processing of the broadband content accordingto the co-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/261,153,filed on Oct. 27, 2005, and entitled “APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLINGBROADBAND ACCESS AND DISTRIBUTION OF CONTENT AND COMMUNICATIONS THROUGHAN ACCESS POINT”, and co-owned, co-pending U.S. patent application Ser.No. 11/262,156, filed on Oct. 27, 2005, and entitled “METHOD OFPROVIDING BROADBAND CONTENT TO AN END USER DEVICE”, which are herebyincorporated by reference.

As described above in relation to the system 200 in FIG. 1, a singleaccess point 120 is coupled to the data center 140. It is understoodthat more than one access point 120 can be coupled to the data center140, and that more than one data center 140 can be coupled to aplurality of access points 120, to receive usage information associatedwith the end user devices 100. Each data center 140 in turn provides theusage information for billing purposes to the network carrier.

Although the data center 140 is shown in FIG. 1 as separate from thenetwork 130, the data center 140 can be coupled to the access point 120via the network 130. The access point 120 can thereby provide the enduser device 100 with access to the network 130 and communicate with thedata center 140 either via the single broadband connection 122 or viamultiple separate broadband connections to the network 130.

The above embodiments of the present invention are illustrative and notlimiting. Various alternatives and equivalents are possible. It isunderstood that the functionality associated with any blocks describedabove may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Itis also understood that one or more blocks of each mobile communicationdevice may be performed by hardware, firmware or software, or somecombinations thereof. The present invention is not limited by thenetwork. The network access point can be configured to provide access toany conventional communications network. The present invention is notlimited by the Wi-Fi signals, such as those defined by IEEE 802.11x,where x may be a, b, g, or Wi-MAX used to carry VoIP communication. Thepresent invention is not limited by the type of integrated circuit(s) inwhich the present invention may be disposed. Nor is the presentinvention limited to any specific type of process technology, e.g.,CMOS, Bipolar, or BICMOS that may be used to manufacture the presentinvention.

Although VoIP communications/calls are described throughout, the presentinvention applies to any content communication such as video, data,and/or telephone calls.

The present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments incorporating details to facilitate the understanding of theprinciples of construction and operation of the invention. As such,references herein to specific embodiments and details thereof are notintended to limit the scope of the claims appended hereto. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made tothe embodiments chosen for illustration without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

We claim:
 1. A system to generate revenue for an owner of an end usernetwork access point, the system comprising: a. one or more end userdevices; b. an end user network access point coupled to the one or moreend user devices, wherein the end user network access point provides theone or more end user devices access to a communications network, furtherwherein the end user network access point includes a switching modulethat collects usage information associated with each end user devicethat accesses the communications network via the end user network accessdevice; c. a data center coupled to the end user network access point,wherein the end user network access point transmits the usageinformation to the data center to be stored as a billing record, whereinthe billing record also includes user information collected at the oneor more end user devices and source information collected at a source ofcontent; and d. a network carrier of the communications network toreceive the billing record and to provide a revenue to a specificentity.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the revenue comprises a directrevenue from a fee.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the revenuecomprises an indirect revenue from the content.
 4. The system of claim 3wherein the content comprises multimedia content or an advertisement. 5.The system of claim 1 wherein the access point is approved by thespecific entity before being implemented.
 6. The system of claim 1further comprising denying revenue to another entity implementing theend user network access point.
 7. The system of claim 1 furthercomprising retrieving revenue from another entity implementing theaccess point.
 8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality ofend user network access points coupled to the data center, wherein thedata center receives usage information transmitted from each of theplurality of end user network access points.
 9. The system of claim 1wherein the one or more end user devices are wireless end user devicesand the one or more wireless end user devices are coupled to the enduser network access point via wireless connections.
 10. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the end user network access point enables transmissionof broadband content to the one or more end user devices.
 11. The systemof claim 1 wherein the usage information includes a time duration that afirst end user device utilizes the end user network access point toaccess the communications network.
 12. The system of claim 5 wherein theend user network access point provides the one or more end user devicesaccess to services related to the communications network.
 13. The systemof claim 6 wherein the usage information includes a type of serviceaccessed by the first end user device.
 14. The system of claim 1 whereinthe end user network access device further comprises: a. a networkinterface unit to couple the end user network access device to the enduser device and the communications network, wherein the networkinterface is coupled to the switching module; and b. a controllercoupled to the network interface unit and the switching module, whereinthe end user network access device provides the end user device accessto the communications network.
 15. The system of claim 1 wherein thecommunications network is a content-compatible network and the end usernetwork access point is a content-compatible network access point. 16.The system of claim 1 wherein the end user network access point enablesa telephone call from one of the one or more end user devices over thecommunications network.
 17. The system of claim 1 further comprising adata terminal coupled to the data center, wherein the data terminal isassociated with the network carrier and the network carrier operates thecommunications network, further wherein the data center receives userinformation associated with users of the one or more end user devicesfrom the data terminal and matches the user information to the usageinformation to form the billing record.
 18. The system of claim 3wherein the content comprises at least one of video, data, a telephonecall, a video call, a VoIP multimedia call, video streaming, datastreaming, multi-media session, a web conference, secured content, orunsecured content.
 19. The system of claim 1 wherein the end usernetwork access point comprises at least one of a trusted end usernetwork access point, a secured end user network access point, a mobileend user network access point or a fixed end user network access point.20. The system of claim 10 wherein the broadband content is transmittedover a secured broadband connection, an unsecured broadband connection,a trusted broadband connection or an untrusted broadband connection. 21.A method of generating income for a specific entity of an end usernetwork access point, the method comprising: a. providing an end userdevice access to a communications network via the end user networkaccess point; b. utilizing one or more services associated with thecommunications network by the end user device; c. tracking usage of theone or more services as usage information, wherein tracking is performedby the end user network access point; d. matching the usage informationto user information to form a billing record; e. transmitting thebilling record to a network carrier corresponding to the communicationsnetwork; and f. providing income only to the specific entity of the enduser network access point by the network carrier in relation to thebilling record.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the income comprisesa direct revenue from a fee.
 23. The method of claim 21 wherein theincome comprises an indirect revenue from content.
 24. The method ofclaim 23 wherein the content comprises multimedia content or anadvertisement.
 25. The method of claim 21 wherein the end user networkaccess point is approved by the specific entity before beingimplemented.
 26. The method of claim 21 further comprising denyingincome to another entity implementing the end user network access point.27. The method of claim 21 further comprising retrieving income fromanother entity implementing the end user network access point.
 28. Themethod of claim 21 further comprising billing a user of the end userdevice according to the billing record.
 29. The method of claim 21wherein tracking usage comprises tracking a duration of time that theend user device accesses the communications network via the end usernetwork access point.
 30. The method of claim 29 wherein tracking theduration of time is performed utilizing a switching capability withinthe end user network access point.
 31. The method of claim 21 furthercomprising transmitting billing records from a plurality of end usernetwork access points to the network carrier.
 32. The method of claim 21wherein the end user device is a wireless end user device, and themethod further comprises providing a wireless connection between thewireless end user device and the end user network access point.
 33. Themethod of claim 32 further comprising providing broadband content to thewireless end user device from the communications network via the enduser network access point.
 34. The method of claim 32 further comprisingenabling a telephone call from the end user device over thecommunications network.
 35. The method of claim 21 further comprisingproviding additional services to the end user device related to thecommunications network.
 36. The method of claim 35 further comprisingtracking the usage of the additional services used by the end userdevice, wherein tracking the usage of the additional services isperformed by the end user network access point.
 37. The method of claim36 further comprising including usage information associated withtracking the usage of the additional services in with the appropriatebilling record.
 38. The method of claim 21 wherein the end user networkaccess point comprises a cellular base station.
 39. A device to generaterevenue for a content provider utilizing an end user network accesspoint, the device comprising: an end user network access point coupledto one or more end user devices, wherein the end user network accesspoint provides the one or more end user devices access to acommunications network, further wherein the end user network accesspoint includes a switching module that collects usage informationassociated with each end user device that accesses the communicationsnetwork via the end user network access device, wherein the end usernetwork access point transmits the usage information to be stored as abilling record to provide a revenue to the content provider.
 40. Amethod, implemented on a device, wherein the device is provided secureaccess to a communications network via a network access point, whereinthe network access point is one of one or more network nodes and theinitial point of access to the communications network, the methodcomprising: enforcing a policy for content.
 41. The method of claim 40wherein the device comprises a user device or a source device.
 42. Themethod of claim 40 wherein enforcing the policy for the contentcomprises: providing income to an entity in relation to a billingrecord, wherein the billing record is based on bandwidth, target addressand/or service level agreement.
 43. The method of claim 40 whereinenforcing the policy for the content comprises: enforcing variousimplementations of processing media, enforcing various implementationsof routing, and/or enforcing various implementations of service levelagreements.
 44. A system to generate revenue, the system comprising: a.one or more end user devices; b. an end user network access pointcoupled to the one or more end user devices, wherein the end usernetwork access point provides the one or more end user devices access toa communications network; c. a data center coupled to the end usernetwork access point; and d. a network carrier of the communicationsnetwork to receive a billing record and to provide a revenue to aspecific entity, wherein the one or more end user devices, the end usernetwork access point and/or an additional device includes a switchingmodule that collects usage information associated with each end userdevice that accesses the communications network via the end user networkaccess device, wherein the one or more end user devices, the end usernetwork access point and/or the additional device transmits the usageinformation to the data center to be stored as a billing record, whereinthe billing record also includes user information collected at the oneor more end user devices and/or source information collected at a sourceof content.
 45. A method, implemented on peer-to-peer devices, whereinthe peer-to-peer devices are provided secure access to a communicationsnetwork via a network access point, wherein the network access point isone of one or more network nodes and the initial point of access to thecommunications network, the method comprising: enforcing a policy forcontent.